Portrait of Mel Collins

Birthday profile

Mel Collins

Mel Collins, Manx saxophonist and flute player

Born
September 5, 1947
Age in 2026
79
Zodiac sign
Virgo
Birth year
1947

About Mel Collins

Melvyn Desmond Collins (born 5 September 1947) is a British saxophonist, flautist and session musician. Collins has played in several progressive rock groups, most notably being a member of King Crimson on two occasions (the first from 1970 to 1972 and the second from 2013 to 2021) and Camel (from 1976 to 1979). He has also worked with the Rolling Stones, Alan Parsons Project, Dire Straits, Roger Waters and Chris Squire. He has played in a wide variety of contexts ranging from R&B and blues rock to jazz and progressive rock. Collins played woodwinds on the 2011 King Crimson ProjeKct 7, A Scarcity of Miracles, appearing on a King Crimson related album for the first time since 1974. Collins was born into a family of musicians.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Mel Collins was born

Mel Collins was born in 1947. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1947

  • #1 song"Near You" – Francis Craig
  • Top movieMiracle on 34th Street
  • Top TV showHowdy Doody
  • Best-selling bookThe Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentJackie Robinson breaks baseball's color barrier
  • Top headlineJackie Robinson breaks Major League Baseball's color barrier
  • Technology milestoneTransistor invented at Bell Labs
  • Defining fadFlying saucer mania
  • Notable inventionPolaroid instant camera
  • World population2.47 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderHarry S. Truman
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • Also wonPhiladelphia Warriors (BAA)
  • U.S. population144.1M

1947 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Mel Collins's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19472026
Gas$0.23$3.45/gal
Average home$7,800$435,000
Average income$4,700$67,500
Minimum wage$0.40$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.40$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population144.1M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.